Red Pottery Signed Minnie Santa Clara - $245 (Carlsbad)

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condition: like new

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Red pottery with the Awanyu or water serpent depicted all around the pot. Awanyu (also Avanyu), is a Tewa deity, the guardian of water. Represented as a horned or plumed serpent with curves suggestive of flowing water or the zig-zag of lightning, Awanyu appears on the walls of caves located high above canyon rivers in New Mexico and Arizona. This creature is believed to have ended a long drought in the 1600s, and is a frequent motif on Native American pottery of the Southwestern United States. Awanyu may be related to the feathered serpent of Mesoamerica— Quetzalcoatl and related deities.

I lived in Santa Clara Pueblo as a VISTA volunteer in 1970, and purchased this piece from Minnie Vigil. She was born in 1931, first child of Petra Montoya of Pojoaque and Juan Gutierrez of Santa Clara – and sister to noted potters Gloria Garcia (GoldenRod), Thelma Talachy and Lois Gutierrez. Minnie is recognized as one of the finest potters of Santa Clara Pueblo, and known for her polychrome pottery and the use of numerous clay slips to create the colors. She began making pottery for the marketplace in 1955 and won her first award at the Santa Fe Indian Market in 1975. In 1985 her pottery was exhibited in New York City at the Sid Deusch Gallery along with pottery by Margaret Tafoya. Her work has been exhibited from 1975 through 1998 at many museums including the Heard Collection. She has also been featured in many publications.
Approximately 3 ¼ inches high and 4 inches diameter, in excellent condition. Signed Minnie Santa Clara.

post id: 7847306416

posted: 2025-05-03 09:53

updated: 2025-09-12 09:17

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Red Pottery Signed Minnie Santa Clara - antiques - by owner -...

Red pottery with the Awanyu or water serpent depicted all around the pot. Awanyu (also Avanyu), is a Tewa deity, the guardian of water. Represented as a horned or plumed serpent with curves...